Abstract

This essay examines Latin American technological development and its connections with regional economic development, ecological deterioration, political freedoms’ fluctuations, and globalization processes—understood as the spreading interconnectedness of business, science, technology, politics, and culture through large regions or the entirety of the world. The essay investigates how policy and decision issues resulting from Latin American technological development and its correlates can be plausibly addressed and argues for several theses, most notably, that in dealing with the issues, national legislation and international treaties have attained and are likely to attain their purposes only to a limited extent and in a mixed manner; that less legislation-dependent procedures evidence greater effectiveness and political feasibility; and that some globalization processes help fuel the environmental issues, while others help facilitate their resolution. The essay provides some concrete examples of how the issues can be soundly addressed.

Latin American Development, Politics And Ecology; Some Salient Facts

Latin American problems and issues associated with technological developments significantly concern the tensions between risks, benefits, individual rights, and practical constraints involved in deforestation practices, pesticide use, the development of genetically modified organisms, urban waste disposal, energy production, and population change policies. I will describe their salient features in some detail next.